Authors' Creative Pursuits - Louise Mangos

Authors are a very creative bunch - and for many of them, this isn’t only with words on the page. From drawing to painting, pottery to needlework, composing to singing, here’s a look at some authors’ creative pursuits.

I am delighted to welcome 

LOUISE MANGOS

AUTHOR OF STRANGERS ON A BRIDGE, PUBLISHED BY HQ DIGITAL ON 6 JULY 2018

TO TALK ABOUT HER LOVE OF PAINTING

Have you always been creative – and not just with words? 

Before I could write, my creativity involved sketching ponies at the kitchen table from morning until night. I loved to draw with coloured pencils. Since I could spell my name I’ve always wanted to write. My first successfully published endeavour was a poem about my mum for mother’s day when I was eleven years old. It won a school competition and was published in our local paper. 

Have you always enjoyed painting or is this a more recent hobby of yours? If it's a more recent hobby, did you start it for any particular reason?

I was introduced to acrylic paints in my mid-twenties. Then there was no looking back. I tried oil paints for a while, but was put off by the lengthy drying time between the stages of ‘layering’ my work and the smell of turpentine around the house. Since my free time is taken up with fewer sporting activities now that I’m getting older, I spend more time writing and painting.

How often do you paint and how easy is it to find the time?

I have a fixed time that I paint with a mentor once a week for a three-hour session. Otherwise I fit my painting at home around my writing. If I didn’t have the obligation of painting with my mentor I probably wouldn’t have the motivation to do it regularly. I can, on the other hand, always find time to write ;o)

Do you do any other arts and crafts?
I’ve always been crafty. I loved to make gifts for my family from Blue Peter ideas when I was a child. I also enjoyed sewing for a few years, and made some money designing fun fleece hats for kids. I make my own Christmas and birthday cards, have done some decoupage and love photography. I often walk with a camera to capture images for my next painting project. I worked in our local Swiss school in a volunteer capacity for a few years, mainly to teach the kids extra English, and ended up using crafting projects to make the learning more exciting.

Do you think painting (or the time you spend painting) helps with your writing and overall wellbeing?  

Painting and writing fiction go hand in hand. They both involve creating images, the first with colour and the second with words. Voltaire said ‘Writing is the painting of the voice.’

Do you enjoy painting anything in particular?

My favourite subjects are landscapes, particularly those with mountains, clouds and water. I feel so blessed living in Switzerland where these three elements are in daily abundance.

What have you been painting recently?

I’ve recently finished a painting of autumn leaves on one of the cobbled-stone streets in our village. You can see the progress of the work through the three images. 

 

 

THANKS FOR TAKING PART, LOUISE!

About LOUISE MANGOS

Louise writes novels, short stories and flash fiction, which have won prizes, placed on shortlists, and been read out on BBC radio. Her debut psychological thriller Strangers on a Bridgeis published today, July 6^thby HQDigital (Harper Collins). Louise lives on an Alp with her Kiwi husband and two sons.

Find Louise Mangos on her website here and on Twitter - @LouiseMangos

I'm hoping to feature more Authors' Creative Pursuits

on Off-the-Shelf Books in the future. 

So if you're a published author and have a talent for arts and crafts, music, photography, baking or other creative activities, and would like to feature on my blog, please do get in touch!

Authors' Creative Pursuits - Fanny Blake

Authors are a very creative bunch - and for many of them, this isn’t only with words on the page. From drawing to painting, pottery to needlework, composing to singing, here’s a look at some authors’ creative pursuits.

I am delighted to welcome 

FANNY BLAKE

AUTHOR OF OUR SUMMER TOGETHER
(ORION BOOKS) AND AN ITALIAN SUMMER (ORION BOOKS, PUBLISHED IN JULY 2018)

TO TALK ABOUT HER LOVE OF KNITTING 

 

Have you always been creative – and not just with words? 

I’ve always loved making things. It started when I was a kid and made hundreds of Airfix models. I was so pleased when my children got to an age when they enjoyed that too. My mum taught me to knit and embroider but I’ve been through phases of doing crochet, patchwork, macramé, tapestry, dress-making, you name it, but knitting is the one that’s lasted. I still love browsing in a wool shop and am always tempted by the colours and textures.  

When did you first learn to knit and did you start knitting for any particular reason?
My mum taught me to knit so long ago that I can’t remember if there was a reason. I suspect it was simply that she knitted and I wanted to copy her. I remember starting with a cotton reel with four nails hammered into the top. I’d make a long trail of knitted multi-coloured wool that I’d turn into circular mats. After that I moved on to more advanced things. I got my Guide badge in knitting and I remember a green jumper with a very wonky green V-neck, and a pair of unwearable socks with heels I couldn’t turn properly. Since then I’ve got better, though I’m very far from being an expert.

How often do you knit and how easy is it to find the time?

I always knit whenever I’m watching TV. I do occasionally just sit and knit without doing anything else at the same time, but very rarely. 

Do you do any other arts and crafts?

I’ve just taken a course in botanical painting. It’s an extremely precise art that’s all-absorbing and extremely satisfying or, in my case, frustrating because I find it very hard. I like the idea of doing it well though so have signed up for another course though I think it needs much more practice than I’m currently able to do.

Do you think knitting (or the time you spend knitting) helps with your writing and overall wellbeing?  

It helps with my writing if I do it when I’m not watching TV. It’s a little like walking in that it’s time when your conscious mind slips and ideas bubble up from   your sub-conscious. That’s when plot problems are sometimes solved when least expected.

What have you knitted recently?

I’ve recently knitted a cardigan for me, a jumper for a friend (she put it the washing machine and shrunk it to a doll’s size!) and one for my daughter-in-law. At the moment I’m concentrating on baby clothes for my new granddaughter – very satisfying because they’re so quick to do.

THANKS FOR TAKING PART, FANNY!

About FANNY BLAKE

Fanny Blake was a publisher for many years, editing both fiction and non-fiction before becoming a freelance journalist and writer. She has written various non-fiction  titles, acted as a ghost writer for a number of celebrities and is also the Books Editor for Woman & Home magazine. She has written seven novels including House of Dreams and Our Summer Together. Her seventh, An Italian Summer (Orion) is out in July.

Find Fanny Blake on Twitter - @FannyBlake1

I'm hoping to feature more Authors' Creative Pursuits
on Off-the-Shelf Books in the future. 

So if you're a published author and have a talent for arts and crafts, music, photography, baking or other creative activities, and would like to feature on my blog, please do get in touch!

Author's Creative Pursuits - Adèle Geras

Authors are a very creative bunch - and for many of them, this isn’t only with words on the page. From drawing to painting, pottery to needlework, composing to singing, here’s a look at some authors’ creative pursuits.

I am delighted to welcome 

ADÈLE GERAS

AUTHOR OF LOVE OR NEAREST OFFER
(PUBLISHED BY QUERCUS)

TO TALK ABOUT HER LOVE OF KNITTING

Have you always been creative – and not just with words? 

No I'm afraid I've always been useless at art and other pursuits. Can do nothing else with my hands except basic crochet. Don't sew at all....I even have to give my jeans to an alterations shop to be turned up!

When did you first learn to knit and did you start knitting for any particular reason?

I first learned at boarding school, aged 12, and HATED it and was very bad at it, constantly dropping stitches and losing my place in the pattern. I didn't knit again till 1982. That was when I gave up smoking. My mother-in-law, a brilliant knitter, was with us at the time and she taught me to knit all over again, as a way of keeping my hands busy while I was suffering from withdrawal symptoms. It worked wonderfully well

How often do you knit and how easy is it to find the time?

I knit every single day that I'm at home. I find the time by doing it in front of the telly. I am addicted to box sets and tv in general and always spend the evenings watching something or other. I would feel very silly indeed just goggling at the screen all on my won with nothing to occupy me. It's as if my knitting ALLOWS me to be a couch potato in the evenings. If I go out in the evening, then of course I miss a day. I don't often knit during the day unless I'm in a non-writing phase. I have special knitting for trains: easy and using small, circular needles. Actually I always use circular needles and can't remember the last time I used straight ones.

Do you do any other arts and crafts?

None whatsoever....unless you count baking! 

Do you think knitting (or the time you spend knitting) helps with your writing and overall wellbeing?  

I'm quite convinced that knitting is tremendously good for mental health. It's very relaxing and therapeutic in all kinds of ways. I love wool and make an effort to use only natural materials. Never synthetic... the handling of the wool and the gazing at wonderful colours is great for allowing you to think. And writing does require a great deal of thought. Overall well-being? Definitely. I would recommend it to anyone. The repetition of a pattern is like a kind of mantra....knit two, purl two, say. Lovely!

What have you knitted recently?

I used to knit garments for myself: Aran, Fairisle, and so forth. Nowadays I do only scarves, shawls, cushion-covers and blankets etc.

Here's a "WORMY" pink cushion which I made at a cushion-making workshop. 

Here's also a beigeish baby blanket I have just finished.

Here's a pink scarf, and also a scarf in three different colours, lime, orange and silver.

Here's a HUGE blanket of squares which was what's called A KNITALONG.

I bought all the wool up front, for the whole blanket, and was then sent a different pattern every fortnight. I loved making that and knowing that there were lots of other people all over the world knitting it at the same time.

Any knitter who's reading this and who isn't already a member of the internet website http://www.ravelry.com is missing out on a lot of fun.

THANKS FOR TAKING PART, ADELE!

About ADELE GERAS

Adèle Geras was born in Jerusalem in 1944, the 7th generation of her mother's family to be born in the city. She was educated at Roedean School and St. Hilda's College,  Oxford, where she read Modern Languages (French and Spanish). She has published more than 100 books for children and young adults and six novels for adults, the latest of which is LOVE OR NEAREST OFFER (Quercus pbk). She lived for 43 years in Manchester but moved to Cambridge in 2010. She has two daughters and four grandchildren.

Find Adèle Geras on her website and on Twitter - @adelegeras

I'm hoping to feature more Authors' Creative Pursuits
on Off-the-Shelf Books in the future. 

So if you're a published author and have a talent for arts and crafts, music, photography, baking or other creative activities, and would like to feature on my blog, please do get in touch!